Industrial heaters are often controlled by specially configured electronic controller modules. In effect, these controller modules are small computers, complete with memory, a processing unit, a display for the output of information, and a means for the input of data from the user. Like more conventional, multi-purpose computers, the controller modules are ever increasingly powerful. With that power, however, comes complication and the loss of ease of use and "user-friendliness."
Recent models of process controllers, such as the Series 988 by Watlow Controls, Inc. of Winona, Minn., are extremely powerful, but that power in part comes from the ability to set well over 100 various parameters. With only a 2 by 4 array of seven-segment LED's to display all of the various parameters, the entry and altering of the parameters can often be a tedious task.
The Series 988 controls organize the different parameters into a tree with multiple branches, to facilitate easier access thereto, which may be referred to as menus. Nonetheless, it can take over 30 button pushes to reach a desired parameter, and on top of that, the user must know exactly under which branches and sub-branches of the menu tree the parameter lies. The positions of the various parameters are fixed at the time of manufacture, and are not adjustable.
Although, the particular problem has not been addressed with smaller devices that have only seven-segment displays for their output, and the intricacies that are thereby involved, others have tried to simplify the use of analogous menuing systems in personal computers and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,042 to Brandt discloses a menuing system that keeps track of the different branches of the menu tree through which the user has traversed. It then allows the user to back track to any branch in the tree the user desires, by displaying the path taken to the current location in the menu tree with the press of a particular button. The user may then choose to go to any previous branch point, selected from the displayed list.
This solution is not complete, as the user must still know on which branch a particular menu lies. This system does, however, speed up the trial and error process of finding the desired menu. This system is also not suitable for a small computer such as a process controller, as there are no means to display the entire list of branches taken, at once.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,653 to Fuller, discloses a 3-tier menu system, which breaks up a large list of menu choices into different zones. One press of a button moves the user from one zone to any other zone. Once again, a process controller is not going to be able to take advantage of such a system, given its limited output.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,675 to Padawer et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,514 to Gram, both assigned to Microsoft Corporation, disclose customizable menus very similar to each other. In each case, the finished customized menu is easy to use, but the process of customizing the menu is not as simplified as possible and requires a complex user interface not available on a process controller.
It is an object of this invention to provide user-definable menuing system adaptable specifically for limited output computers, and more specifically for process controllers.
It is another object of this invention to provide a user-definable menuing system that can be used with a seven-segment array display. Other objects and features will be in part pointed out or become apparent from the description herein below.